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Automated Manufacturing & Machining Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Collaborative effort revs up Penn College’s Baja SAE team

Members of Penn College’s Baja SAE team take a break during a day of testing their vehicle in preparation for Baja SAE Tennessee Tech, scheduled for April 11-14 in Cookeville, Tenn. From left are Christopher M. Schweikert, of Jamison; Dakota C. Harrison, of Lewisberry; Corey J. Mason, of Lake City; Justin R. Dahlberg, of Manahawkin, N.J.; Daniel M. Gerard, of Doylestown; John D. Kleinfelter, of Lebanon; Trevor M. Clouser, of Millmont; Shujaa AlQahtani, of Saudi Arabia; Mark A. Turek, of Red Lion; Dylan A. Bianco, of State College; Dominic J. Lepri, of Monroe Township, N.J.; David Carlson, of Elizabethtown; Morgan R. Bagenstose, of Reading; and Matthew J. Nyman, of Lock Haven.

A collaborative multidisciplinary effort is fueling Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team’s preparation for two major international competitions sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

The Penn College team will compete at Baja SAE Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, April 11-14 and at Baja SAE Rochester in Rochester, New York, June 6-9.

“The past success of the team has sparked a lot of interest from students in a variety of majors,” said John G. Upcraft, instructor of manufacturing and machining and adviser to the college’s Baja SAE club since its 2005 inception. “Traditionally, our team primarily consisted of manufacturing and machining students. Now we have other students offering their services, including some as part of their coursework. It’s great that more people are assisting and have a stake in the team’s achievements.”

Faculty & Staff General Information Students

Public input sought during local meeting on state redistricting

The new Pennsylvania Redistricting Reform Commission has invited the Penn College community to a public meeting – set for Thursday, April 4, in downtown Williamsport – to talk about making the commonwealth’s redistricting process fairer and nonpartisan. The session will be from 4-7 p.m. at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania, 201 W. Fourth St. Gov. Tom Wolf created the 15-member bipartisan commission by executive order in November and appointed David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the nonprofit Committee of Seventy, as its chairman. The commission will study best practices in other states and submit a report to the governor and state Legislature later this year with recommendations for a nonpartisan redistricting process that safeguards election integrity and fairness. The Williamsport session is one of nine to be held over the coming months; the commission also encourages Pennsylvanians to submit their comments online.

Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts Business & Hospitality Business & Hospitality Management Faculty & Staff Students

Student/faculty road trip helps girls’ career exploration

From left, students Jace A. Crowl, Cynthia R. Setzer, Maren A. Zaczkiewicz, Amber Kreitzer, and Deirdre L. Satterly represent the college at the Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology festival in Phoenixville.

Penn College students prepare to interact with guests.

Penn College took its celebrated “The Taste of Technology: Sweet and Savory Science” presentation on the road again over the weekend, sharing the scientific side of baking, pastry and culinary arts with youth during the Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology event at Phoenixville Area Middle School, in the southeastern region of the state. GETT is an annual event for girls in grades five to 10 and their parents to learn about career opportunities in a broad scope of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics-related industries. Five students made the trip to provide a tasty, hands-on science lesson: Jace A. Crowl, of Landenberg; Amber Kreitzer, of Port Treverton; and Deirdre L. Satterly, of Shippensburg, who are majoring in baking and pastry arts, and Cynthia R. Setzer, of Port Allegany, and Maren A. Zaczkiewicz, of Williamsport, who earned associate degrees in baking and pastry arts and are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in applied management. They were joined by faculty members Chef Todd M. Keeley, instructor of baking and pastry/culinary arts, and Chef Frank M. Suchwala, associate professor of hospitality management/culinary arts. This is the third year that Suchwala, Keeley and students have taken “A Taste of Technology” to the GETT festival. They’ve also presented the topic multiple times at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., and for K-12 students taking part in campus events.
Photos provided

Faculty & Staff

Penn College welcomes new employee

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

Events Faculty & Staff Students

Employers heavily recruit Penn College students

The Spring 2019 Career Fair attracted more than 450 employers – including 29 Fortune 500 companies – to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Field House (shown here) and Bardo Gymnasium. Employers were offering 5,000-plus jobs and internships.

Employers plan to hire 16.6 percent more graduates from the class of 2019 than they did from the previous year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The recent Pennsylvania College of Technology Career Fair reflected that trend.

The college expanded its Career Fair to a two-day, two-location event in order to accommodate the surge of employers recruiting “tomorrow makers” from the school’s 100-plus diverse majors. More than 450 employers – including 29 Fortune 500 companies – networked with students in the college’s Field House and Bardo Gymnasium, offering 5,000-plus jobs and internships.

“Expanding the Career Fair was essential to meet the needs of employers,” said Erin S. Shultz, coordinator of career development. “Every year it seems the demand for our students increases because of the tremendous value of their applied technology education. Our graduates are real-world ready.”

Events Faculty & Staff Students

Turning imagination into impactful reality

Conversing with students and faculty in the Makerspace

During the Makerspace visit, Brueckner explains her “Embodisuit” that allows its wearer to map signals onto different places on the body to experience meaningful connections.

Paul L. Starkey, vice president for academic affairs/provost, introduces the speaker ... — Paul L. Starkey, vice president for academic affairs/provost, introduces the speaker …

... who closed out a busy Thursday visit as a colloquium keynoter in the ACC Auditorium. — … who closed out a busy Thursday visit as a colloquium keynoter in the ACC Auditorium.

Brueckner describes her prototype for an “Empathy Amulet,” a networked wearable device connecting anonymous people through shared warmth.

“I’m so impressed with what good makers you are!” Sophia Brueckner said at the start of her Technology & Society Colloquia Series talk in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.

The futurist artist/designer/engineer toured the Pennsylvania College of Technology campus Thursday, addressed a small afternoon gathering of mostly industrial design and graphic design students and faculty in The Dr. Welch Workshop – A Makerspace at Penn College, and delivered her keynote address, “Prototyping Alternative Futures,” to a crowd of college and community attendees in the evening.

Automated Manufacturing & Machining Corporate Relations Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Workforce Development

Companies’ generosity supports Penn College students

Commemorating an arrangement allowing Penn College students access to a high-end CNC machine are, from left, Elizabeth A. Biddle, director of corporate relations at Penn College; Suzette Snyder, director of human resources and talent acquisition for Lycoming Engines; Randy Ditch, president, Gosiger East Coast Region; Bill Wilson, key accounts manager, Gosiger Mid-Atlantic; Tyler McCoy, manufacturing engineering supervisor at Lycoming Engines and a Penn College alumnus; Richard K. Hendricks Jr., instructor of machine tool technology/automated manufacturing; and Gregg Shimp, vice president, integrated operations, Lycoming Engines.

An industry staple, computer numerical control machines are a common sight in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s automated manufacturing lab. Students operate the 17 CNC units daily to master the intricacies of using computer software to control the machines’ tools in shaping metal.

A recent addition to the CNC collection has changed the lab’s landscape. At 8 feet wide and 10 feet tall, the 18,000-pound unit towers above other instructional equipment in the 12,000-square-foot facility. The Genos M560 vertical machine center – built by the Okuma Corp. – makes quite the impression. More importantly, it offers students another valuable learning experience.

“It’s certainly a higher-end CNC unit,” said Richard K. Hendricks Jr., instructor and department head of automated manufacturing and machining. “It goes beyond the machines we typically have access to. If we were comparing it to a car, this would be like a Mercedes or BMW.”

Faculty & Staff Students

Building a home … away from home

Ten students and two staff mentors from Penn College traveled to South Carolina this month, a nearly 600-mile journey as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge. The group worked on a house in the Marion County community of Mullins, where the local Habitat organization is using autoclaved aerated concrete – an eco-friendly building material, resistant to extreme weather conditions – for the first time. Students who made the Alternative Spring Break trip are Hunter C. Dubbs, Bendersville, software development and information management; Aniah T. Ellerbee, Tannersville, building construction technology; Cas D. Henderson, Hazel Hurst, business administration: banking and finance concentration; Abby K. Kohler, Mar Lin, pre-practical nursing; Stacy L. Lash, Pottsville, applied human services; Adriana S. Lee, Williamsport, landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis; Kimberly P. Masullo, Effort, building construction technology; Alaina M. Murren, Aspers, dental hygiene; Princy Prasad, Philadelphia, pre-physician assistant studies; and Michael V. Saylor, Gettysburg, residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration. They were accompanied by Sammie L. Davis, coordinator of diversity and cultural life (who provided the photos), and Cathy E. Gamez, hall coordinator for Rose Street Commons. “Habitat for Humanity is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and learn something new,” Prasad said. “I went from learning biology and anatomy to learning how to bore a hole into a block!” Penn College is one of three institutions involved in the ongoing construction project; crews from Siena and Hamilton colleges also worked at the site over their respective hiatus from classes.

Collision Repair & Restoration Diesel & Power Generation Faculty & Staff Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Club’s diesel drag truck named ‘Top Race Vehicle’ at auto show

The first-place Motorama trophy and club banner adorn the drag truck, a fixture in Penn College’s diesel lab through two decades’ worth of students.

A diesel drag truck, which has provided nearly 20 years’ worth of unique laboratory experience for Pennsylvania College of Technology students, recently captured first place at a popular automotive festival in Harrisburg.

The college’s Diesel Performance Club took the modified 1959 Mack B61 truck to the Motorama Speed Show at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex for the second year and brought home the trophy as the event’s “Top Race Vehicle.”

Faculty & Staff Sports Students

Penn College ‘fielding’ esports team

Pennsylvania College of Technology students have a new avenue to flex their competitive muscles in support of their school. The college has formed an esports team that will challenge other colleges and universities for video game supremacy beginning later this month.

“A large portion of our student body consists of active gamers. Establishing a team allows us to formalize that interest in the name of Penn College and facilitate participation for the students in recognized competitions against other schools,” said John D. Vandevere, director of athletics. “The team will be a tremendous outlet for the students, and will serve as a campus life enhancement.”

Admissions Alumni Business & Hospitality Construction & Design Technologies Events Faculty & Staff General Information Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Nursing & Health Sciences Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Sports Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Match your interests to your future at Spring Open House

The Madigan Library (left) and Bush Campus Center will be hubs of activity during Penn College’s Spring 2019 Open House, an April 6 event highlighting the college’s unique educational mission and hands-on approach to learning.

College-minded students, overwhelmed by piles of possibilities as they consider which career path to follow, can sort through the clutter of options during a revealing visit to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Spring Open House.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, members of the Penn College community will welcome potential students and their families, sharing their unique experiences from an institution that has helped tomorrow makers find their niche for more than a century.

Faculty & Staff General Information Students

College’s PR, marketing efforts capture Gold, Bronze ‘CUPPIEs’

An institutional viewbook, produced in collaboration with branding firm 160 over 90, earned Pennsylvania College of Technology a Gold CUPPIE in the 2019 CUPPIE Awards for Creative Excellence in Marketing and Communications in Education. The college captured three Gold CUPPIES and one Bronze CUPPIE in the annual competition sponsored by CUPRAP (College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals).

Public Relations & Marketing at Pennsylvania College of Technology earned four honors in the 2019 CUPPIE Awards for Creative Excellence in Marketing and Communications in Education.

Penn College captured three Gold CUPPIE Awards and a single Bronze CUPPIE in the annual competition sponsored by CUPRAP (College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals). A total of 34 schools and/or organizations received awards this year from more than 400 entries submitted. The awards were presented March 14 in Lancaster.

Building Construction Construction & Design Technologies Faculty & Staff Students

Penn College two-year team earns national championship at Vegas builders show

The two-year Penn College team displays its championship trophy (earned in the National Association of Home Builders’ student competition) at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. From left are instructor Barney A. Kahn IV; students Joe J. Hetrick, of Painted Post, N.Y.; Drew P. Miller, of Williamsport; Hanna M. Gibson, of Allison Park; Nicholas T. Bonsell, of Tyrone; and Nathan I. Tabon, of Allison Park; and instructor Levon A. Whitmyer.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s two-year entry in the National Association of Home Builders’ student competition brought home a championship trophy from Las Vegas – the institution’s first team to do so since 2011.

Students from the college’s School of Construction & Design Technologies finished first among 14 teams in their category when winners were announced at the association’s recent International Builders’ Show. Members are Nicholas T. Bonsell, of Tyrone; Hanna M. Gibson and Nathan I. Tabon, both of Allison Park; Joe J. Hetrick, of Painted Post, New York; and Drew P. Miller of Williamsport.

“Each member of this team brought interdisciplinary strengths to the competition, and the outcome they were striving for was achieved,” noted Carol A. Lugg, dean of construction and design technologies. “Veteran coach Barney Kahn does a great job of developing and inspiring the team. His dedication to this event is a critical component for their success.”

Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students Welding

Penn College welding students cap unique remodeling project

A group of Penn College welding students and their faculty adviser crafted the focal point for a remodeling project undertaken by a McEwensville homeowner residing in a former church.

A dedicated group of Pennsylvania College of Technology welding students added the “crown” to a stunning remodeling job for a McEwensville homeowner.

Seven members of the college’s American Welding Society student chapter and faculty adviser Steve J. Kopera volunteered their time and expertise to craft and install a 6-by-9-foot “tree of life” metallic sculpture at a former church.

Construction & Design Technologies Faculty & Staff Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

HVAC faculty attend industry conference

Penn College HVAC faculty members attending an industry conference are (from left) Kenneth E. Welker Jr., Jason K. Killinger, Daniel J. Harris and Bradley Q. Kishbaugh.

Faculty members from the School of Construction & Design Technologies were among nearly 800 instructors from across the country who attended this month’s 13th annual HVAC Excellence Conference at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas. The conference provided more than 70 sessions from the latest instructional methods to accommodate Generation Z’s learning styles to the fast-growing technological advancements being introduced into the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration market to meet today’s required energy standards. “It’s extremely difficult to keep up with technological advancements in the HVCAR industry,“ said Jason W. Killinger, an assistant professor of HVAC technology and co-department head. “Advancements in our industry are being made faster than ever. This conference has provided us with specialized training to be more effective and to ensure training we offer is aligned with industry to educate successful HVAC technicians and designers.” Killinger was joined at the conference by faculty colleagues Kenneth E. Welker Jr., Daniel J. Harris and Bradley Q. Kishbaugh.
Photo provided

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